Neutron diffraction study of the magnetic phase diagram of the CrSsub(1-x)Sesub(x) system

Neutron diffraction studies of CrSsub(1-x)Sesub(x) solid solutions are made in the temperature range from 4.2 to 500 K. It is shown that the magnetic transition, which is found previously in chromium sulphide with the NiAs-type structure between 240 and 300 K, is a transition of the order-order type due to the turning of spins from the c-axis. The magnetic structures and the magnetic phase diagram of the CrSsub(1-x)Sesub(x) are determined. Two magnetic phases are found in the solid solutions with x = 0.2 to 0.8, characterized by the coexistence of two kinds of antiferromagnetic orderings. This phenomenon is ascribed to the presence of competitive exchange interactions in the CrSsub(1-x)Sesub(x) system and possible exchange mechanisms are discussed. (author)